Animal feed supplements, as used herein, are manufactured nutritional products intended to supplement the basic forage, hay, grain or other diet of livestock such as bison, domesticated cattle, sheep, goats, deer, and horses, whether confined or unconfined. Molasses-based feed supplements have long been used to enhance the diets of livestock, particularly cattle. Such supplements are commonly in the form of a solid block and are placed in a stockyard for ad libitum consumption by the animals.
The rate of consumption is affected by factors including ambient temperature, humidity, tub placement location, and amount of sunlight. These factors vary from season to season. Other factors include product hardness, livestock body condition, and livestock production phase. Therefore, typically a harder product is necessary during summer months, whereas a softer product is necessary during the winter.
Crystallization of the sugars and the water content in the final product are important to obtaining the desired effect of nutrient tub consumption in livestock or wildlife. The crystallized sugars serve to encapsulate desired feedstuffs. Products vary in moisture content, for example, from about 2 weight % to about 6 weight %, for added support in consumption requirements based on the animals' daily protein, energy, and mineral deficiencies in normal non-confined or confined placements. Some products require a very low water content to ensure that the animal does not consume too much of the nutrient supplement. This is because the additional amount of nutrients consumed is essentially wasted after the daily nutritional needs are met.
This encapsulation process lengthens the duration of vitamin potency retention. Without encapsulation in a nutrient tub, most vitamins will lose potency due to oxidation when exposed to factors such as sunlight, moisture (e.g., snow) or humidity, wind, and extreme temperature. For example, cut dry roughage (such as hay) typically loses its Vitamin A content in about 6 months. The encapsulation process allows the longevity of feedstuffs to be extended for years due to reduced exposure to environmental factors and a resulting lack of oxidation.
Conventional nutrient tub production facilities are large in size. A tub production facility can take up several thousand square feet. The equipment is permanently fixed to the existing structure for the life of the facility. The conventional equipment used in these facilities offers minimal product flexibility. In addition, the reduction of water content in the final product is limited by the conventional equipment because of efficiency losses. Conventional production facilities experience heat transfer inefficiencies due to the use of a heat transfer medium.
A direct fire heat source has not been used in other nutrient tub production facilities, because of the charring that easily occurs. To minimize charring of the high sugar concentrate, other tub production facilities use an indirect heat source (usually steam), wherein heat is transferred via a jacket. The temperature of the heat source is generally limited to a maximum of about 500° F.
The manufacture of molasses-based animal feed supplements is known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,961,081 to McKenzie, entitled Molasses Feed Block for Animals and Method of Making Same, discusses cooking temperatures and time required for heating molasses. U.S. Pat. No. 4,737,377 to Lane et al., entitled Method for Making a Molasses-Based Animal Feed Mass, describes a process from preheating to cooling, with a two-step cooking process using steam to heat molasses. U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,729 to McKenzie et al., entitled Continuous Process for Manufacturing Animal Feed Blocks, discloses heating, preferably by indirect heat, a blend of molasses and vegetable fat to about 300° F.-400° F. for 5.5-7.1 minutes. U.S. Pat. No. 7,045,165 to Westberg, entitled Process for Manufacturing Animal Feed Supplements, shows a two-step process for cooking a blend of molasses and vegetable fat, wherein the first step operates, preferably by indirect heating, at temperatures of between 240° F.-320° F.
The use of screw conveyors to transport food substances is also known. U.S. Pat. No. 4,181,072 to Hirahara, entitled Continuous Pressure Cooking Apparatus, teaches a screw conveyor cooker for cooking particulate foods in sauce, and that continuous screw conveyor pressure cookers with inlet and outlet valves have been previously used for processing animal feed grains, such as milo. The screw conveyor of Hirahara, having intact flights, induces the flow of food through the cooker. U.S. Pat. No. 6,965,575 to Koch et al., entitled Process and Device for the Continuous Conveyance of Confections, describes helical rotors to convey confectionary material from a cooker to an evaporation space and further to a vacuum space.
Conventional nutrient tub manufacturing facilities have several disadvantages. If a conventional tub production facility utilizes steam as a heat transfer medium, additional burn hazards are present. Steam is a difficult heat transfer medium to contain. Steam piping often leaks at pipe fittings and connections. Conventional tub production facilities generally require boilers and additional insulated piping to carry steam. Insulation must be maintained on steam piping to prevent energy losses. In addition, water tanks and conditioning equipment must be purchased to utilize steam as a heat transfer medium. Costs for boilers and additional equipment can range as high as hundreds of thousands of dollars. These are significant start-up costs. Costs for additional building space as required by conventional tub production facilities can also be significant (potentially hundreds of thousands). Maintenance costs should also be considered. Conventional tub production facilities must maintain steam piping and fittings. Insulation must be kept in good working order to prevent heat losses. Heat losses are costly when fuel costs are considered.
There is a need for a compact nutrient tub production apparatus that would allow for a transportable facility. There is also a need to reduce the production time necessary to manufacture nutrient tubs while maintaining the quality of the product.